Are you looking for a material that fulfills your industry’s requirements and usage in extreme temperature conditions? There are dozens of superalloys with high specifications to meet the expectations of the end-users. One such nickel-based alloy creating ripples in diverse industries is Inconel Alloy 718.
It is a material with a proven track record of retaining its strength and properties in extremely high and freezing temperatures. In this article, we take a close look at the properties and applications of Inconel Alloy 718 to help readers assess its applicability in their industries.
What Is Inconel Alloy 718?
Inconel Alloy 718 is a fantastic alloy made up of nearly 50% nickel. The other prominent components of Inconel are Chromium (17-21%), niobium+tantalum (4.75-5.5%), molybdenum (2.8-3.3%) and titanium (0.65-1.15%). It also contains a little bit of cobalt (less than 1%). The unique combination of nickel, chromium, and cobalt gives this superalloy anti-corrosion property.
It resists not only corrosion but also oxidation when used in gas turbines and jet engines. It exhibits excellent strength to maintain its characteristics under brutal temperature conditions. From cryogenic temperatures to very high temperatures in the range of 1300+, Elgiloy 718 Inconel retains its physical and chemical properties such as impact strength and tensile strength.
Because of this ability to give an optimal and consistent performance over a wide range of temperatures, Inconel Alloy 718 has become a preferred choice of many industries. Inconel 718 has all the properties described above, plus the Elgiloy promise of quality and performance.
A Truly Versatile Alloy
Age hardening of Inconel Alloy 718 is possible without any drop in its properties and performance. It responds to slow and gradual heating, which means that you can anneal and weld this alloy, and it will not exhibit any kind of hardening whether it is heated or cooled down. Heat treatment involving precipitation can increase the strength of this superalloy considerably at room temperature.
This way, you can prepare the alloy to withstand and work under extreme temperatures. However, you need to keep in mind the end use of this alloy before choosing the solution for heat treatment. Also, the precipitation heat treatment method is different if the alloy is going to be used under cryogenic conditions.
End-use customers have found this nickel-based superalloy very versatile and easy to work with. As compared with other superalloys, Inconel Alloy 718 does not show cracking post welding. They say that it can be readily fabricated into small and complex components. This ability comes in handy when these parts are used in various industrial applications.
Various Applications Of Inconel Alloy 718
Inconel Alloy 718 has carved a niche for itself as a superalloy primarily because of its superlative performance in aviation and jet engines. This alloy has proved handy for engineers trying to improve the efficiency and reliability of jet engines. There are other alloys as good as Inconel Alloy 718, but they are costly.
This superalloy gives an outstanding performance at its cost, which is why it has become a preferred choice of engineers in the aviation industry. How it retains its strength in the hottest section of jet engines and resists corrosion is why it is benign used so widely in the aerospace industry.
3D printing is another widespread application of Inconel Alloy 718. End users have found that this superalloy works excellent with the parts and processes of 3D printing machines in all sorts of industries. AM industry is also seeing this superalloy very useful. Turbine gas engines are another place where Inconel Alloy 718 has given fantastic performance.
Resistance to heat and ease of welding has made this nickel-based alloy a good fit for this industry. The Die-cast industry has also found Inconel Alloy 718 a perfect material because of its excellent ability to resist extreme temperatures. More and more engineers are opting for Inconel Alloy 718 because it can protect itself from damage under extreme conditions.
Oil and gas is another industry where Inconel Alloy 718 is getting high praise because of its excellent performance. Resistance to corrosion and chlorides make it an ideal material for use in drilling operations.
At present, nearly half of the total quantities of Inconel Alloy 718 produced across the country are used in the aerospace industry, where the sheets, blades, and discs of aircraft engines are made using this superalloy.
Inconel Alloy 78 is now used in cryogenic industries as it retains its strength and gives a fantastic performance in sub-zero temperature conditions.
